Page 432 - The British Big Four

Rita Zovetta - was built in Scotland in 1919 and bought by Parodi and
Accame of Genoa, Italy, in 1921 and given its final name. While sailing
from the European country of Georgia for Maryland, it ran aground at
the northeast end of Bermuda in heavy seas. The wreck was salvaged
for scrap metal after the Second World War. As a result, there is a large
debris field to explore. The stern is still intact and has swim-throughs
for adventurous divers to negotiate.
Cathedral - Located near Gurnet Rock off Bermuda’s East End and
a favorite among the dive shops at this end of the island, Cathedral
is well named. It is a huge underwater dome with several windows,
where shafts of light penetrate into the gloom, creating the feel of a
vast subterranean cathedral. This is a very popular dive with a high
concentration of marine life.
Lartington - a 245-foot-long early vintage steel freighter, sank in 1879.
After departing Savannah, Georgia, for Russia with a cargo of cot-
ton, it encountered numerous storms and heavy seas. When a giant
wave cracked its hull, the captain attempted a run for Bermuda. It ran
aground on the reef 5 miles northwest of the Royal Naval Dockyard.
Subsequent storms scattered its remains, but its bow section remains
fairly intact. Its steam boilers, stern section and propeller are still vis-
ible.
Caraquet - A 350-foot combination mail packet and passenger steam-
er, Caraquet was launched in 1894. On June 25, 1923, while carrying
passengers and general cargo from St. John to Halifax, the ship went
down on Bermuda’s Northern Barrier Reef. All passengers, crew and
mail were landed safely without mishap and its cargo was later sal-
vaged. Today, it lies in 30 feet of water.